Winner of several international architecture prizes including the Riba international Award 2010, the Herning Museum of Contemporary Art in Denmark was designed by American architect Steven Holl. The building responds to its rural surroundings, art and music and intensively explores the topic of fabrics. In 1960, Italian concept artist Piero Manzoni was attracted to Herning by a local shirt manufacturer Aage Damgaard and the ensuing collaboration lasted for many years. Many of his works are on display in the interior of the Museum. But also from the outside there are references to Manzoni's work with fabrics: Cast in white concrete the façade resembles wrinkled fabric. Seen from above, or so the architect explains, the building resembles a bundle of shirt sleeves, citing the local textiles industry.

Steven Holl has designed a building of sculptural quality and rich in metaphors that makes subtle references to the exhibits and the industrial background. Both the choice of materials, fair-faced concrete and figured glass elements, but also their composition are typical of the many museum buildings the architect has designed.

www.stevenholl.com